What reel would you put on this rod?

[chille51]

Picked up a WCFT 6'6" lightweight jigging rod for a good price at Cabela's a month or so ago. Interestingly, I can't seem to find a link to this exact rod online or on their site. They have a PJS66iC on the site, but the butt is different than mine and specs say 80-150lb line, where as the one I have says 50-100lbs on it. Almost the identical model number though. Anyway, its a really light rod so I want to go as light as I can with the reel too to keep it balanced. I fish out of Nanaimo most of the time, but also hit Nootka, Esperenza, Alberni Inlet, Port McNeil etc. What would you pair on it with?

EDIT: I reel with my left, so only interested in reels I can get in a lefty

This is the link on the site:

https://westcoastfishingtackle.ca/products/copy-of-fra-pacific-jigging-series-2-piece-pjs66i

 

[chille51]

And this is the actual rod I have.

 

[lemmy]

I’ve been super happy with a Penn Fathom 15 Lever Drag 2 speed on a similar rod. Nice to have the low gear if you get something really big. Just keep em coming up slow an steady!

 

[Blue Hewes]

I've tried the Avet S/X and J/X on mine and both work great. I have the S/X in lefty and the J/X in righty. I can reel either way and the J/X G2 was on sale at H/C for $299 for some colours which it still is today. The J/X has a much better drag 21 strike and 28 full.

 

[chille51]

Yep, both the Fathom and the Avet's are on my list. I was in HC yesterday for the sale, but they didn't have any lefties. I sure liked the size of the S/X, but I wonder if they are too small?

 

[ReelSlim]

I pained over what Avets to get quite a few years ago. I originally went with the MXL which is in between the reels you are considering.....size wise anyways. I used them for a few years and they served as my multipurpose jigging and Halibut reels. I eventually added 2 more and put them on slightly lighter rods for jigging and are still on the boat as back up Halibut rod/reel combos. My hope was they would also be used on an occasional Tuna trip with 4 decent setups but so far that hasn't happened unfortunately. They are single speed reels and brought several oversized Halibut to the boat to be released without issue last summer.

 

[chille51]

I need to get into HC and take a closer look at the Avets, maybe bring the rod in with me. It was too busy in there on Saturday to be taking up a bunch of the staff's time, especially since I would most likely need to special order a lefty. But I find the Avet website not that great for figuring out how the sizes all relate to each other. Same problems with the Penn Fathom and Shimano Speedmaster - they have a couple at Cabela's but not in the sizes I'd be looking at. So hard to visualize how it'd fit in the hand or balance the rod. And of course, you can read online discussions about all of these reels and find people that both love them and hate them. For everyone that says their favorite is bullet proof, there's always someone else to say they're junk. Just the way it is I guess. I've gathered that when people complain about the Avet's, they are probably talking about the first generation.

 

[scott craven]

For everyone that says their favorite is bullet proof, there's always someone else to say they're junk. Just the way it is I guess. I've gathered that when people complain about the Avet's, they are probably talking about the first generation.

I've owned 2- MXL5.8 single speed and when they worked they were great.
Unfortunately the first one proved so unreliable it was eventually replaced by the dealer.
I have Shimano Tekota's now and they really are bullet proof.

 

[wildthing]

find a 401 calcutta or a tekota of same size 300 little smaller

 

[chille51]

I've owned 2- MXL5.8 single speed and when they worked they were great.
Unfortunately the first one proved so unreliable it was eventually replaced by the dealer.
I have Shimano Tekota's now and they really are bullet proof.

What size Tekota's are you using, for what target species? I took the look of them, but the 300 size like wildthing suggested maybe is a little light on the line capacity? Guess it depends what and where you fish, and what lb test you put on it. It also seems to be a popular opinion that level wind mechanisms and saltwater don't mix well - but your guys experiences would seem to disagree. I had kind of been discounting level wind reels until now.

 

[tannerc]

What are you wanting to target with that rod?

I have a sx on a light rod I’ve always liked that set up as a ling rod. I’ve had decent size Hali and tuna on my sx- It wouldn’t hold up to daily battles but it did work and was a lot of fun.
I also have an Amazon baitcaster / suggested in the jigging thread ) on a similar light rod- that’s been my go to for lings as well as a really fun salmon jigging set up. Super light super fun.

 

[chille51]

What are you wanting to target with that rod?

I have a sx on a light rod I’ve always liked that set up as a ling rod. I’ve had decent size Hali and tuna on my sx- It wouldn’t hold up to daily battles but it did work and was a lot of fun.
I also have an Amazon baitcaster / suggested in the jigging thread ) on a similar light rod- that’s been my go to for lings as well as a really fun salmon jigging set up. Super light super fun.

Pretty much the same usage you described I guess. Mostly ling and maybe rockfish if they are open in abundance, and salmon. But I'd like to be able to handle the odd chicken halibut if I have the opportunity. I'm fishing out of a 17' so won't be headed far offshore chasing tuna or anchoring for halibut. Mostly out front in Nanaimo, in the various sounds on ECVI, and up around McNeil will probably be where I do most of my fishing. Truth be told jigging in general is pretty new to me, so I'm drinking from the fire hose a bit.

 

[ReelSlim]

I've owned 2- MXL5.8 single speed and when they worked they were great.
Unfortunately the first one proved so unreliable it was eventually replaced by the dealer.
I have Shimano Tekota's now and they really are bullet proof.

I guess that's what the OP is talking about. I have had my first 2 for about 10 years and other than rinsing them off at the end of the year and occasionally throughout the summer (Rain) I haven't touched them.....embarrasing but true! I actually brought them home with me after the summer and planned on opening them up and giving them some love.....lol

 

[scott craven]

What size Tekota's are you using, for what target species?

I have the 500's and use them for all species

 

[eroyd]

Like my Tekota line counter. Handy when targeting fish at specific depths. Sure beats trying to keep track of those multi colour counting lines. My only minor complaint, and this may be user error, is it doesn't quite free spool as easily as I want with very light jigs. Might just need a good servicing, it has been through a lot.

 

[Don Haraguchi]

Another vote for the Tekota. I have the TEK500HGLC paired up with a 6’6” trevala MH rod. Awesome combo. I’ve taken everything from rockfish to 50lb halibut on it.

 

[RiverBoy]

I highly highly recommend taking a drive to PNT in parksville an and talking to Noah. he is their jigging guru. I too am a lefty and i purchased a Daiwa Lexa 300 . it holds 700’ of 30lb metered braid. it has 25 lbs of drag and one crank brings in 36” of line. i had an aversion to Daiwa as i thought they were low end crap but this is far from that. im in love with this reel. i’ve had three tyee class springs to the boat this summer with this reel without issue as well as a 32 lb ling. it’s a workhorse. I have three WCFT rods and i’m surprised there’s no jig gram rating on that rod?!

 

[CBsqrd]

@chille51 - I'm in a similar boat (no pun intended...), and recently picked up won a WCFT PJS63iC at derby - which is pretty much the same rod but with a little lighter action. I wanted to set it up with a conventional style reel and 50lb braid for as an all-round jigging setup. Like @RiverBoy, I ended up going with a Lexa 400 TW (slightly updated version of the HD). I had a slight preference for a left-handed version, but found a great deal this week on a righty from here:

Daiwa Lexa TW Casting Reel | Fishing World | Canada

The battle tested Lexa line has been upgraded and reintroduced- the all new Lexa TW has arrived. Complete with the features that have made the Lexa a staple in markets across the country, now paired with our industry leading T-Wing System (TWS) for a lightweight, heavy duty bait casting reel in...

fishingworld.ca

It has 29 lbs max drag, but only weighs 12 ounces allowing you to jig all day. These aren't the old level winds with fragile mechanisms built for fresh water, guys down south are using these to land 100lb+ bluefin and yellowfin tuna.

The downside of the quick retrieve with the high 7.1-to-1 gear ratio is that you can't winch a big fish in, instead it will be a lot of lifting the rod and then reeling on the way down.

Personally, I'm not a fan of the Avets. I have a two speed JX Raptor with 80 lb braid. Its a nice reel, but I don't like it for jigging as the way it is designed there is always a bit of slack / freespool when you go from jigging to cranking before the anti-reverse catches which makes for a very "clacky" experience. I use it mostly now for albacore trolling and as the third halibut setup where the low gear makes it easy to winch fish in.

I much prefer my Accurates (500 size with 60 lb braid) for general purpose bottom fish jigging. The anti-reverse engages right away and they just feel really solid. Shimano Talicas and Speedmasters in size 12 would be another great option, and I'd go with two speed reels if money isn't an issue as it is nice to use high gear when checking and bringing in smaller fish and then be able to drop into low gear when you have a big one on.

My process is that once I've determined what pound text line I want to run, I look for a reel that holds ~300 yards of this size braid and puts out at least 1/4 (preferably 1/3) of that rating in drag at strike. So for 60 lb line, you'll want a reel that puts out a minimum of 15 lbs of drag at strike - be sure to set and check the drag every few weeks. 60 lb line is a good all purpose set up for lings and halibut, but if you are thinking more lings and salmon with the occasional halibut, then 50 lb or even 40 lb line is probably a better choice.

 

[chille51]

@chille51 - I'm in a similar boat (no pun intended...), and recently picked up won a WCFT PJS63iC at derby - which is pretty much the same rod but with a little lighter action. I wanted to set it up with a conventional style reel and 50lb braid for as an all-round jigging setup. Like @RiverBoy, I ended up going with a Lexa 400 TW (slightly updated version of the HD). I had a slight preference for a left-handed version, but found a great deal this week on a righty from here:

Daiwa Lexa TW Casting Reel | Fishing World | Canada

The battle tested Lexa line has been upgraded and reintroduced- the all new Lexa TW has arrived. Complete with the features that have made the Lexa a staple in markets across the country, now paired with our industry leading T-Wing System (TWS) for a lightweight, heavy duty bait casting reel in...

fishingworld.ca

It has 29 lbs max drag, but only weighs 12 ounces allowing you to jig all day. These aren't the old level winds with fragile mechanisms built for fresh water, guys down south are using these to land 100lb+ bluefin and yellowfin tuna.

The downside of the quick retrieve with the high 7.1-to-1 gear ratio is that you can't winch a big fish in, instead it will be a lot of lifting the rod and then reeling on the way down.

Personally, I'm not a fan of the Avets. I have a two speed JX Raptor with 80 lb braid. Its a nice reel, but I don't like it for jigging as the way it is designed there is always a bit of slack / freespool when you go from jigging to cranking before the anti-reverse catches which makes for a very "clacky" experience. I use it mostly now for albacore trolling and as the third halibut setup where the low gear makes it easy to winch fish in.

I much prefer my Accurates (500 size with 60 lb braid) for general purpose bottom fish jigging. The anti-reverse engages right away and they just feel really solid. Shimano Talicas and Speedmasters in size 12 would be another great option, and I'd go with two speed reels if money isn't an issue as it is nice to use high gear when checking and bringing in smaller fish and then be able to drop into low gear when you have a big one on.

My process is that once I've determined what pound text line I want to run, I look for a reel that holds ~300 yards of this size braid and puts out at least 1/4 (preferably 1/3) of that rating in drag at strike. So for 60 lb line, you'll want a reel that puts out a minimum of 15 lbs of drag at strike - be sure to set and check the drag every few weeks. 60 lb line is a good all purpose set up for lings and halibut, but if you are thinking more lings and salmon with the occasional halibut, then 50 lb or even 40 lb line is probably a better choice.

Great info there and I like the methodical approach. I am leaning towards 2 speed for the reasons you mentioned, though not 100% fixed on that yet. I'll be taking a closer look at the Lexa and Tekota's folks have mentioned before pulling the trigger. The Accurates are very dreamy, but probably more than I can splash out at the moment. The Speedmasters and Fathoms on the other hand seem pretty value priced. Lots of good options it seems. I was thinking 65lb braid as the mainline, but nothing is decided for sure yet.

 

[RiverBoy]

in my opinion waaaay too heavy a line weight. if you want to use this setup for salmon i would recommend 30lb OR EVEN 20lb per Noah. heavier line weights tend to scope out much faster in strong currents. line pays out much easier with small line diameters as well